single strand DNA while RecG shows a 3Ј to 5Ј DNA Department of Molecular Microbiology, Research Institute for helicase activity (Tsaneva et al., 1993; Whitby et al., Microbial Diseases, Osaka University, 3-1 Yamadaoka, Suita, 1994). Osaka 565, Japan In the RuvABC pathway, RuvC is a specific endonucle-1 Corresponding author ase that resolves Holliday junctions (Dunderdale et al., 1991;Iwasaki et al., 1991). RecG, which functions in The RecG protein of Escherichia coli is a DNA helicase the alternative pathway, has been suggested to promote that promotes branch migration of the Holliday juncjunction resolution by driving branch migration in the tions. We found that overproduction of RecG protein opposite direction from that promoted by RecA protein drastically decreased copy numbers of ColE1-type (Whitby et al., 1993;Whitby and Lloyd, 1995). These plasmids, which require R-loop formation between the authors proposed that RecG plays a role in preventing template DNA and a primer RNA transcript (RNA unproductive recombination by reversing the invasion of II) for the initiation of replication. RecG efficiently a 5Ј single-stranded DNA end into the homologous duplex inhibited in vitro ColE1 DNA synthesis in a reconstitu- . ted system containing RNA polymerase, RNase HI andThe recG and ruv genes play different roles in alternative DNA polymerase I. RecG promoted dissociation of mechanisms of stable DNA replication (SDR), which do RNA II from the R-loop in a manner that required not require the chromosomal replication origin (oriC), ATP hydrolysis. These results suggest that overDnaA initiator protein or concomitant protein synthesis produced RecG inhibits the initiation of replication (Asai and Kogoma, 1994a). Mutations in the ruv or recG by prematurely resolving the R-loops formed at the gene stimulate inducible SDR (iSDR), which is a part of replication origin region of these plasmids with its SOS responses, suggesting that this mode of SDR involves unique helicase activity. The possibility that RecG D-loops or Holliday junctions made by RecA (Asai and regulates the initiation of a unique mode of DNA Kogoma, 1994b). recG mutants, but not ruv mutants, replication, oriC-independent constitutive stable DNA stimulate constitutive SDR (cSDR), which was found replication, by its activity in resolving R-loops is disoriginally in RNase HI-defective (rnhA) mutants, and recG cussed.rnhA double mutants are inviable. These results suggested